news from the Cabinet on Aging
Elizabeth Gattine
It has been a busy fall, and I want to thank all of you for your continued advocacy and commitment to creating communities where we can all lead active, healthy, and engaged lives throughout our lifetimes. A special shout out goes to Jean Saunders who was recently recognized at the Maine Council on Aging's CHANGE AGEnt Summit for her inspirational work—so well deserved!
The Cabinet continues to be highly engaged and excited about the Community Connections work. This initiative was highlighted recently at a panel discussion that included Governor Mills and the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy held at the University of Southern Maine on the importance of social connection.
Cabinet members are looking forward to hearing about the funded mini grant projects you have developed and exploring ways in which we can continue to support your work. Thanks to all who took the time to develop and submit proposals. Stay tuned for a public announcement about the funded projects on November 20, during the Lifelong Maine Resource Share call (to register, email Lifelong@Maine.edu)
For those of you who work closely with your municipalities, I want to pass on that the next round of Community Action and Service Provider Grants through the Community Resilience Partnership is now open to support climate mitigation and adaptation activities . While these grants are primarily open to municipalities, federally recognized tribes, and unorganized territories in Maine, some of you may be interested in this work and learning more.
Important Housing Update: In the last legislative session, a one-time $18 million appropriation of state funding was approved by the Maine Legislature and Governor Janet Mills to create an eviction prevention program aimed at helping households that are facing an immediate risk of homelessness due to an eviction proceeding or the threat of an eviction proceeding. This program is expected to open shortly, likely later this month. While some of the program details are not yet publicly available, you can sign up at the MaineHousing program site to get more information and updates and I encourage you to do that. More to come but we should all be aware of this important resource that can help older adults and people in our communities by providing rental payment assistance to avoid eviction.
As always, feel free to reach out to the Cabinet with suggestions or comment through me at Elizabeth.Gattine@maine.gov. Thank you again!